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Austin Vanderford: Paige VanZant is ‘a big part of my journey’ to being world champion

Many fighters build life-long bonds with their training partners, but not many of those dynamics are as close-knit as Austin Vanderford and Paige VanZant.

In a recent interview with Bloody Elbow, the Bellator middleweight openly expressed what it means to have his wife, VanZant, in his corner—not just in the cage but in life.

“It’s a unique dynamic,” Vanderford said, ahead of his fight with Grachik Bozinyan at Bellator 224. “It’s something that is fun. It’s so crazy. We were just thinking about it earlier too. We’re over in Israel right now getting ready for a fight.